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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Trans-vivo Delayed Type Hypersensitivity Assay for Antigen Specific Regulation
Published on: May 2, 2013
Regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with mixed connective tissue disease
13rd Department of Internal Medicine, Medical and Health Science Centre, University of Debrecen, Moritz Zs. Str. 22, 4004 Debrecen, Hungary.
Objective:
To determine the percentage and absolute number of CD4+ regulatory T-cells (Treg) in 48 patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD).
Methods:
Data were classified on the basis of the stage of the disease: 17 patients were in the active stage and 31 in the inactive stage. The absolute number of CD4+/intracellular interleukin-10+ (IL-10+) and CD4+CD25+high Treg cells was determined by flow cytometry. The percentage of CD4+CD25+high suppressor T-cells was determined on the basis of Foxp3 expression.
Results:
The percentage and the absolute number of CD4+CD25+high Treg cells were lower in patients than in healthy controls (p<0.04), and were further decreased in patients with active MCTD and were lower than in the inactive stage (p<0.01). There was an increase in the percentage and absolute number of CD4+IL-10+ Treg cells in patients with MCTD compared to the healthy controls (p<0.02). The percentage of CD4+IL-10+ Treg cells was higher in the active stage of MCTD than in the inactive stage of the disease (p<0.005). However, we did not find any significant difference in the absolute number of CD4+IL-10+ Treg cells between the patients in the active and inactive stages of MCTD.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that the decrease in the number of CD4+CD25+high Treg cells in an important factor in the immunoregulatory disturbance in patients with MCTD. We suggest that the increase in the number of CD4+IL-10+ Treg cells is a compensatory mechanism aiming to restore the balance between type 1 and type 2 cytokines in MCTD.
